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Wednesday, April 30, 2014

What do you do when your Etsy shop takes over your whole (pretty much) house? Well, you start feeling a little lot overwhelmed and you do something about it! After I decided that I would venture out and sell at the 'Buzzard Creek Primitives' barn sale, I had to get busy creating...well, that turned into a HUGE mess in basically the entire house. Mind you, I have a craft room and a basement that is an empty space; but I didn't want to be down there by myself.

Here are some (embarrassing) before photos of my kitchen/dining area and my craft room:

How can anybody work like this? I did for a while, then I just couldn't take it anymore and had to do something about it. With my house like this...the only person I could let in was Tabatha (she knows the real me...a HOT MESS)! She was even overwhelmed by the mess...I mean come on, who wouldn't be!

After, I couldn't take it anymore; my husband came up with a plan on moving everything down to the basement. He helped me box everything up and take it downstairs. Then, it sat there for a couple of weeks until I could muster up the courage to get down there and organize my mess.

Here are a few after photos of my craft room. I will share my workshop next week and give you a play by play account of how I set it up. For the craft room, I just had to clean it up and put things away; so there isn't a whole lot to share with that process.

I can finally breath and I actually enjoy being downstairs now. It is very calming now that it doesn't look like my supplies threw up all over the room. There is something to be said about having a calm environment to create in...it's true! I am going to try to keep my area cleaned up when I am done creating (hoping that works). My husband made me a ribbon station with dowels and hooks to make it easy to find my ribbons and cut them.

He had to add another dowel, because I am a lover of ribbon (a little addicted to it actually).

On Monday, I will share my new workshop with you and how I organized it to help me be more productive in my creating.

Monday, April 28, 2014

A few months ago I shared with you my new living room décor. We had our hardwood floors refinished over Christmas and it was time to update a few things. To see that post, click here.

In that post I mentioned I had one wall that still needed something and today I want to share with you what I came up with!

Pretty 'simple', right?! I had forgotten I had this window until I came across it while I was in the garage the other day. It came from my good friend Jessika's house. Her husband put new windows in and kept their old ones and I grabbed a few...win for me!

Side note, Jessika had an adorable blog too called Hattie Jane Blog. You should check it out!

Moving on...I bought a piece of cedar from Home Dept for the shelf. It was in their scraps and I had them cut it to size. It only cost me .50! Score!

The décor on the shelf I had already, yay, and the "Be Still" sign came from Julie as a thank you gift!!

How awesome is this sign? I love the tag that references the most beautiful verse, "Be still and know that I am God." I love looking at that sign and being reminded that I need to be still and know God is in control, right!?!?

If you would like to check out this sign and other items that Julie is selling in her Etsy store, click here.﻿

I'm really happy at how this turned out and how simple it was. It helps to look at things you already have an add a few things to tweak it! If I do the math, this décor cost me $1!!!

Take a look around at what you have and see how you can reuse or upcycle it.﻿ You may surprise yourself!!

Friday, April 25, 2014

Since Mother's Day is around the corner, I thought I had better find something fun (& easy) to make for a Mother's Day gift. I made one of these button flower bouquets for my own mom a few years back and wanted to make one for myself...well I finally got around to making it!

There is a story behind the little jar that I put my button flowers in. This past Christmas, somebody left a beautiful basket filled with breakfast goodies at our doorstep! They didn't ring the bell or knock, they simply left it on the porch and walked away. We saw a shadow walking away and my husband told me who it was...a very sweet friend of mine! She has been an inspiration to me and I am so thankful that I have her in my life! So back to the bottle...this bottle was filled with honey (I love honey) from a local farm here in the valley. As soon as my husband saw the bottle he asked me what I was going to do with it after we finished the honey...I knew this is what I wanted to use it for!! It is just adorable and means a lot to me because I will always remember where it came from!

Supplies Needed:

Buttons, Wire, Bottle, Sand, Ribbon, Tag

You can use all kinds of different buttons. The one I made my mom had vintage buttons that were my great-grandma's...I used pastel colors in her bouquet. Remember when you are creating the sky is the limit with possibilities...use what works for you!

This is so easy! All you have to do is set out the buttons your want, you can stack them (upper right photo) or leave them as single buttons. You poke the wire through one hole then back through the other side. When you get it pulled back through you twist it to keep it in place. The lower right photo shows one that the wire broke on me, but it actually turned out to be really cute because I was able to curl those wires that broke and I added wire to the back for the stem. You will have to excuse my ugly thumb...my hands are a mess from making signs!

When I was finished making the button flowers, I curled the ends of the wire sticking out and then I added sand to the jar and put a tag and bow on the jar. I stamped the word 'joy' on the tag because my sweet friend uses it for a couple of acronyms...

J=Jesus O=Owns U=You

or

J=Jesus O=Others Y=Yourself

I am very BLESSED to have so many gracious, beautiful, and kind friends in my life! Thank you Deb for my special bottle and the memory of that yummy Christmas breakfast!

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Here in my home, we don't wear shoes in the house. I started doing this when my daughter started crawling. Not to gross you out, but think of all the things you track in with your shoes and then imagine that in your child's mouth since EVERYTHING goes in their mouth when they are young. I know it can be a nuisance to visitors and even to those who live here, but I just can't get past that thought...so, I finally came up with a friendly way of asking guests to remove their shoes!

Today I want to share with you my new entryway.

To begin, I went to JoAnn's (because I had coupons) and bought this crate. I also purchased the wood that I made the sign on. Using a 'dry-brush' method, I painted the crate white and the sign blue to match the blue accent color I have in my living room.

If you're not familiar with the 'dry-brush' method, let me explain how easy it is!!!

First step is to drip a little bit of the paint onto a plate (or something you can dip your paint brush on - the paint lid works too!) Next, take your paint brush and dip it into the paint and then dab it onto a paper towel in order to soak up some of the paint on your brush.

Your paint brush should look like this picture below (notice there isn't any paint pulling the bristles together in clumps). It looks 'dry', but there is actually wet paint on the brush!

Then, simply brush on the paint. Since there isn't a lot of paint on your brush it's easy to play with to get the look you want. Some people like there to be a lot of paint on it, but still look distressed and others, like me, just want a very thin layer.

Here is a close up of the 2 signs I dry-brushed. I used my Cricut to create the letters. After I applied the letters on the signs, I sprayed it with a coat of shellac in order to seal it.

I wanted to provide my guests with socks just in case their bare feet got cold, or 'heaven-forbid' they didn't get a chance to get a pedicure!! Ha!

In my search for ideas, I found this cute stand for my daughter's shoes at The Container Store. They have an elephant and bunny one too, but she liked this one the best. Cute, huh?!

I think this area turned out pretty good. The only thing that is missing is somewhere for people to sit down while they put their shoes back on. Someday....

Monday, April 21, 2014

With all of the nice weather, I wanted to share with you a fun and easy way to add color to any area of your patio or porch. I made these cute little vintage coffee flower pots for the 'Barn Sale' and I had so many compliments on them, so I thought I would share how to put them together.
People were even asking if they were 'For Sale'.

I couldn't bare to sell them...the vintage coffee cans were my husband's grandma's and I just couldn't part with them, even if I do have tons of them in the storage room down in my basement (the picture below is only one section of the vintage cans).

What you will need:

Vintage Coffee Can

Rocks and Soil

Drill with bit (to drill holes in the bottom of the can)

Succulent (of your choice)

Flowers (your choice)

I decided to get the pink 'snap dragons' because I thought it complimented the color of the coffee can and there was also a little bit of pink on the edge of the succulents. You can see one of the cans (that I used at the Barn Sale) in the background...I used daffodils, pansies, and a succulent in it as well. This time I just used 2 different types of plants...the sky's the limit when you are creating!

First, you need to drill holes in the bottom of the can (so the water can filter through).

Then, layer rocks in the bottom of the can.

After that, put your soil in the can...I added a little at first, then put the plants in to see how much more soil I would need. After, everything is planted you will need to pack down the soil and make sure you have enough to cover the plants (I didn't take a picture of this...sorry).

These little planters are quick and easy, but they add a lot to any area of your patio or porch! Believe it or not...we found that adorable chair in somebody's junk pile. In the Spring time our city has trash pick up, so one Sunday we were on our way home from church and found that gem! I love it, even if it is wobbly!
Have a wonderful week!
~Julie
P.S. There are some Vintage Spoon Key Chains in the shop today (great Mother's Day gifts)...click on the above tab to get to the shop!

Friday, April 18, 2014

Easter is this Sunday and if you aren't ready with your décor, Snippets Of Creations would like to share with you easy DIY ideas in this last Easter post.

Maybe you are hosting Easter lunch or dinner and you don't feel as though you have any time to decorate, but I want to encourage you these projects take very little time to create and they will add so much to your home!

Some of these ideas you may have seen in our past posts, but some are new and just as easy to create!

Since I don't have a mantel, I use my television console to display most of my décor.

In the photo above is the Easter egg tree I made as well as the free Easter printables. To see the Easter egg tree tutorial, you can click here.

In this photo are some of the free Easter prinatables I created. To see all of them and click & print them for yourself, click here.

This one is my favorite! I had both brown and white burlap, so I found a free clipart silhouette inline and used it to cut out the white burlap bunny. Then using double-sided tape, I taped it to the brown burlap and put it in a frame! E-A-S-Y!!!

And yes, it gets even easier! I had these galvanized watering cans, so I stuck some branches in there I had used in a previous project and hung some eggs I bought at JoAnn's for $3!!!

I shared this no-sew Easter/Spring banner with you last week. It didn't take very long to make and it looks so cute on my mom's mantel (yes, I used her mantel because it looks better there than on my television console!) Click here to see that post.

And finally, the Easter door wreath. To see the tutorial on this, click here.

Like I said, so easy!! Each project took me no more than an hour! Even if you do a few to add accents to your home, it will get you in the spirit and your guests will love it!

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

I know this is a DIY blog, but to be honest with you...I haven't had much time to DIY with the Barn Sale. I promise, I will have something new for you on Monday but for now I want to reflect back on my first vendor experience.

I want to take a minute and THANK everybody that made the Barn Sale a HUGE success for my new adventure! I am always amazed at my wonderful friends...they are such caring, loving, giving, and kind people (I could go on, but that would take forever). They came to say hi and even buy items from my booth...you guys truly are the meaning of FRIENDS! My mom and Tabatha (the BFF) even came and spent the day with me an my Tyler (my middle son) came for awhile to support his mom (that kid!).

It was great fun and a memory I will hold dear to my heart every time I am at another event.

My kids sent me this card along with a shirt (with 'Beautifully Broken Creations' printed on it). They each said so loving and kind words (sorry you can't see Tim and Kate's note). I wanted to be able to display that and take it with me where ever I go (meaning vendor events), so I put it in a shadow box and copied their notes onto a piece of scrapbook paper. My family has been such a huge support and I really do not know what I would do without them! This momma is one lucky person!

Here are some photos of my booth:

This was one experience I will never forget. Not only did I have support from family and friends, I met new customers (who I think will be repeat offenders). The outpouring of kind words have touched me in a way that I cannot explain! It validated the fact, that I can and will be continuing this little adventure of mine. I can't wait to see what 'He' has in store for me...it's exciting!

Again, thank you for all of the support and thank you Cindy Jo for allowing me to come and be a vendor at the 'Buzzard Creek Primitives' Barn Sale...I hope to be back in the Fall!

Monday, April 14, 2014

This year I thought it would be fun to make my daughter's Easter basket. There are some really cute ones in the stores, but they are so expensive and lets face it...it gives me something to blog about!

Here is how it turned out...

The best part about this project is it took me a little over an hour to do and there is no sewing involved!

Here is a quick tutorial on what I did:

I got this basket at a neighbor's yard sale...for free!!! I bought a table and she threw this in with it! Yay!!

I wasn't really sure what I going to do, so I went to my craft closet and pulled the material I thought I might use and started playing around. I grabbed fabric scraps, jute/twine, my sewing bag and, of course, my handy glue gun!

I had this green fabric left over from a previous project and I kept eyeing as the material I needed to use for the lining of the basket...like grass. I just had to figure out how to make it work. So, I folded it a little here and there and figured out I could fold and glue it to sit nicely gathered in the basket. I started out by cutting it so it was square (meaning the sides evenly hung over the basket). I then put hot glue on the bottom of the basket, place the material center over the opening of the basket and pushed down with my hand. This allowed for it to be even all around. Then I took the extra material on the sides and folded the edges, tucking it behind and gluing it to the basket.

Next, I made the flower. I wasn't sure where I was going to put it, but I had the material, so why not? It's the same material I used for the No-Sew Easter/Spring Banner (click here to see that post). I cut 6 circle pieces, folded them in half, then folded it to make an 'S' shape and glued the tip to a square piece of felt I had cut out. I then glued the folds of each piece together so it would lay down. I did this with each piece until it was a complete flower. I then grabbed my container of beads and brads and found this cute brad that matched perfectly. I pulled off the prongs and glued it to the center of my flower. Cute, huh?

﻿

After my flower was made, I started on the banner. I used the same material from the flower and cut 5 triangles. I wanted them big enough to stand out, which is why I only cut 5, but if you're making one, you can always ﻿make them bigger or smaller. I then glued them to the twine and tied it to the basket.

As I looked at my basket, I knew it needed something else, so I went to the ribbon stack and started playing around with ideas. I ended up taking the 1/2" pink ribbon and wrapping it around the top of the handle. I used my glue gun, again, to secure this. I also took the 1/4" pink and white ribbon and tied them to the side of each handle to make tassels. It added a little something, don't you think?

I will admit, this basket is very girly and very frilly, but it suits my daughter so well!!! You can always change up your colors and accents to your child's style. That's the beauty of creating, you make it your own!!

Friday, April 11, 2014

Well in the midst of the 'Barn Sale' I was supposed to do my blog post for today and totally forgot about it! So today I am just going to share a few thoughts on the sale.

First off, I want to THANK all of you that came out to support me! I was blessed by so many of you and by others that I don't even know. It was a BEAUTIFUL...I mean BEAUTIFUL day! There was Somebody (I think we all know who I am talking about) in charge of the day, that gave us perfect weather. There were a few times that the wind picked up, but it didn't break anything, so I figured that was a good thing. Although, my sign did fall and hit somebody...thank goodness, it was one of my wonderful friends and not somebody I didn't know (sorry Erin)!

Next week I will be sharing photos and blogging about the 'Barn Sale', so stay tuned. As for now, I have to go gear up for the last day of sales! Again, THANK YOU to all of my supporters and customers...all of you have BLESSED me beyond measure!

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Today I would like to share with you the banner I made for my Easter/Spring decor. I love how simple this banner is and how easy it was to make...no sewing!!!

A little side note, this is my mom's mantel. I didn't have a good place to display the banner in my house, so I'm high jacking my mom's mantel so it looks cute in the pictures!! Ha!

Let's get started on the tutorial:

I created a templet for the the banners in order to make it easy to cut out the pieces. I basically eye-balled how big I wanted each banner and cut it out on standard card stock. I then laid in on my muslin material and cut each banner out using my rotary cutter. You can use sciccors if you don't have a rotary cutter, but make sure they are sharp sciccors since you're cutting material and you want to have a clean cut.

Next I laid out each banner onto my interfacing and ironed them on. I used interfacing because I wanted some weight to my banner, but you can always opt out of this if you like the way the material lays by itself. Be sure to read the directions that come with the interfacing in order to be sure you are ironing the material onto the correct side!

I then trimmed the pieces.

Next, I brought in the color! I found this cute material at JoAnn's and thought it would be perfect Easter/Spring colors!

I needed to adjust my template so the patterned material pieces I cut were smaller than the muslin pieces. So, I measured 1" all around the template and cut.

I then cut my patterned material pieces the same way I cut the muslin pieces; using the template and rotary cutter.

Next step was applying the two pieces of material together using my adhesive spray. So, I went outside, since it gets messy!! I sprayed the back of the patterned material and laid it flat onto the muslin, spreading it with the palm of my hand. I repeated this step for each banner.

The final step was attaching the twine, and for this I used my handy glue gun!

I applied 2 dots of glue on each side of the banner in order for the banner to hang evenly onto the twine.

And I was done! So simple. This project took me about 1 hour and I didn't have to pull out my sewing machine for it!!!

I'm sure your local fabric store has some really cute Easter/Spring material on sale right now, so get out there and start creating something!